Brake in the action: Cross-country bike team to make stop in Holliston

Monday

Aug 18, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Anamika RoyDaily News Staff

HOLLISTON - Seven cyclists are on a 4,000-mile cross-country bike tour this summer to raise money and awareness for HIV and AIDS as part of the 2014 Ride Against AIDS Team. The team of college-age women from all over the country began their 63-day journey in San Francisco on June 19 and plan to finish in Boston on Aug. 21 - but not before spending the last night of their trip in Holliston.The team will pedal into town Wednesday afternoon and attend an HIV clinic at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. During their stay, the team hopes to do some fundraising in Holliston and host an event to talk about HIV awareness in the United States.“A lot of times people will just come up to us and tell us how HIV has affected them," said team member and Fordham University student Rachel Picard while riding her bike through New Jersey last Thursday.The team has to maintain a budget and is responsible for its own food and lodging. Picard’s job has been to find places to stay along the route. For the past two months, the team has been staying with family, friends and past riders. In places where they couldn’t find housing, the women set up a camp.“People have been so excited and gone above and beyond,” said Picard.The team will be staying with members of Picard’s extended family in Holliston.Rise Against AIDS is an annual bike ride that raises money for FACE AIDS and Partners in Health, a charity that provides health care for HIV/AIDS patients overseas. FACE AIDS works with Partners in Health as an HIV/AIDS awareness program with chapters run by college students across the country.Picard and her six teammates, Elizabeth Stockton, Les Zimmer, Jennifer Kim, Leila Moinpour, Katelyn Stermer and Aparna Shankar, applied to be on the team through FACE AIDS and are the ride’s first all-female team since it began in 2007.“This is a really exciting year,” said Picard.The team is trying to raise $100,000 for healthcare for women and children in Rwanda with HIV and to help reduce the stigma surrounding the disease in the U.S. The team has raised almost $44,000 as of Friday, according to its fundraising page.People interested in partnering with the team to host an HIV awareness event during their stay in Holliston should email Picard at rpicard@fordham.edu. To donate, go to faceaids.fundly.com/the-2014-ride-against-aids-team.Anamika Roy can be reached at 508-626-3957 or aroy@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @anamikaroy.

Market Place

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA ~ 33 New York Ave., Framingham, MA 01701 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service